Concussions are one of the most common sports-related injuries. Injuries to the head and neck are the most catastrophic, and head injuries are the most common direct athletic cause of death. The risk of injuries to the head is present in various sports and physical activities, such as football, soccer, cricket, skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, hockey, baseball, cycling, equestrian, car racing, to name a few.
Below are given some of the known prior art.
Patent application US 20160286883 entitled “Protective headgear” describes protective headgear for sports and methods of using such headgear. In one aspect, the headgear has an external head-protecting shell that is soft to reduce the risk of injuring other players. In another aspect, the headgear has a rear closure arrangement that includes a bridge component for ease of putting on the headgear and for added protection at the closure area of the rear closure arrangement. In another aspect, fit pads of different sizes are removeably attachable to a cheekbone extension member of the headgear to provide a proper fit to the wearer's cheekbone. A face mask is integrated with the headgear in some embodiments.
Patent application US 20130312166 entitled “Sports helmet” describes a sports helmet having a domed shell, and a forward peak each having a topside and an underside, said sports helmet being configured to co-operate with a face-guard for protecting the face of a wearer, wherein said peak comprises a proximal, rigid peak portion which is connected to the helmet main body and a distal, movable peak portion which is articulated on said proximal peak portion along a prescribed line of flexure, wherein said distal peak portion is capable of being deflected upwards when impacted by a moving ball or projectile.
Patent application US 20040154080 entitled “Protective headgear” discloses a protective headgear device that comprises a circumferential member composed of a foam material, having an interior that generally conforms to the shape of one's head. The circumferential member has a first opening for viewing and a second open through which the neck of the user extends. A plurality of internal pads is secured to an interior surface of the circumferential member, and the pads are spaced apart from one another, to protect predetermined sensitive areas of the head. Impact plates are affixed to the interior surface of outer shell, and each impact plate is disposed between the circumferential member and a corresponding internal pad. The impact plates supplement the protection of the internal pads and outer shell for absorbing trauma forces applied to the headgear.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,827 entitled “Impact protection headguard” describes impact protection headguards for athletics and in particular soccer players. In one embodiment, a protective headguard is provided that includes a central pad for covering a portion of a forehead of a wearer. The central pad has a first side and a second side, and a first and second padded rib extending from each side of the central pad. The distal ends of the first and second padded ribs on each side are connected to form side portions that extend rearward from the central pad for covering sides of the head of the wearer. The headguard also includes a rear pad for covering an occipital bone of the wearer and an adjustment strap system which secures the side portions of the central pad to the rear pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,468 entitled “Protective head gear for martial arts activities” discloses a head gear with four main components which provide increased protection to vulnerable parts of the head and neck. The main components are 1) a head mask, 2) a face guard for protecting facial areas, 3) a neck guard for protecting the back of the neck and 4) a cap for protecting the top of the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,714 entitled “Hydraulic helmet” describes a helmet including an outer resiliently deformable shell, an inner compressible liner contacting the user's head, and an intermediate portion positioned between the shell and liner including a hydraulic cushioning assembly. The assembly includes a plurality of spaced elastic cells and an elastic sump generally coextensive with the interior of the shell and means connecting some of the cells to other of the cells and/or to the sump for intercommunication of the hydraulic fluid there between. The connecting means includes constrictive passageways to restrict the fluid flow there through. The interaction of the deformable shell hydraulic assembly and compressible liner results in the dissipation, absorption and distribution of the energy of an external blow delivered to the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,764 entitled “Energy absorbing and sizing means for helmets” describes a system for absorbing energy to avoid the detrimental effects of impacts in protective equipment such as helmets comprising a plurality of first chambers located on the inside surface of the helmet for positioning adjacent the head of the wearer. A substantially non-compressible fluid is included within these first chambers, and conduits connect the first chambers with corresponding second chambers. Upon impact, fluid is displaced to the second chambers, and, due to the design of the chambers, the displaced fluid is returned to the first chambers when the force of the impact is removed. Sizing means useful with the energy absorbing means or in other applications are located on the interior of the helmet surface. The sizing means include expandable compartments, and valves are associated with these compartments whereby a user of the helmet can place the helmet on his head after which air is introduced into the compartments until a proper fit is achieved. Energy absorbing pads are preferably located within the compartments to serve as additional safeguards under high impact conditions.
In a publication entitled “Angular Impact Mitigation System for Bicycle Helmets to Reduce Head Acceleration and Risk of Traumatic Brain Injury”, NIH Accid Anal Prev. 2013 October; 59: 109-117, Hansena et al describe a system for impact mitigation. The Angular Impact Mitigation (AIM) system for bicycle helmets developed employs an elastically suspended aluminum honeycomb liner to absorb linear acceleration in normal impacts as well as angular acceleration in oblique impacts.
The standard football-helmet format of a polycarbonate shell with internal foam padding is now replaced by a flexible bonnet that conforms to the wearer's head and is separated from the external plastic shell by a set of 18 hollow thermoplastic shock absorbers. On impact, these puck-shaped devices compress to absorb the energy of the hit. Theoretically, this reduces the jarring of the head inside the helmet, thus reducing the likelihood of brain injuries.
Headgears for ski and snowboard are typically made from polycarbonate shells molded with shock-absorbing polystyrene foam. This “in-mold” construction eliminates the need for glued-in padding. In baseball, a traditional batting helmet, comprising a hard ABS plastic shell encasing soft foam padding to withstand baseball impacts at great speeds.
Some bicycle helmets involve an interior lining made of crushable expanded polystyrene (EPS) encased in a hard plastic shell. High-end bicycle helmets which have air vents, are made using the so-called in-mold production method, i.e. the EPS is basically cooked into its polycarbonate shell during production, which allows for a lighter product. The major drawback of EPS helmets is that they can only sustain one impact. After that, the foam lining is crushed, and the helmet is useless.
Helmets used in ice hockey involve wearing a custom-made fiberglass mask. These days the mode in masks is the so-called hybrid mask, also known as the mage-style (mask+cage). These combine resilient shells made of high-grade fiberglass and resin with a steel face-guarding cage and interior foam padding that absorbs impact. Earlier, riding-headgear employed shock-absorbing foam linings. Today, riding helmets consist of impact-negating foam paired with external shells made from hard plastics, carbon fiber, or more traditional materials like velvet or suede.
Protection for automotive racers comprises of the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device. Like a pair of football shoulder pads, the device slips around the driver's neck and then attaches to the driver's helmet, so that the head and body move as one in a crash.
Despite various improvements and progress in the field, some of the major obstacles that still exist, such as not having an impactproof, shock absorbing, reliable, light weight and reusable headgear that can offer good protection to a user. Accordingly, improvements are needed in the existing methods and structures that negate the above shortcomings in the existing systems.